"Chinese giant to put millions into graphene"

A CHINESE telcommunications company is set to invest millions of pounds into a research project pioneered by the University of Manchester’s National Graphene Institute.

According to Sky News, the boost from Far East giant Huawei will help the NGI examine the prospective applications of graphene to the information and communications technology sectors.

It will be among a series of partnerships signed during a state visit to Britain of President Xi Jinping, the Chinese President who is in this country on a state visit and will come to Manchester on Thursday evening and visit the University of Manchester with Chancellor George Osborne on Friday.

Graphene was discovered by two scientists from the University in 2004 and has resulted in the launch of a number of companies intent on launching it commercially.

A hundred times stronger than steel and a single atom thick, graphene is expected to be used for applications such as fuel cells, aeroplane wings, water purification and, importantly for Huawei, more flexible and long-lasting mobile phones.

The news comes several months after Huawei was cleared of posing a risk to national security following an audit by professional services firm EY.